Madre de Dios: In Search of Gold on Peru's Final Frontier

In the jungle near Labertino Island, Peru, Feb. 8, 2007 - A view of a series of gold mining pits deep within the jungle of Madre de Dion. In Peru, artisanal mining, a type of small-scale mining that produces gold exclusively, has proliferated due to a combination of survival and opportunity. In Madre de Dios, one of the least populated departments of the country, the discovery of gold in placers and riverbeds, has caused a massive immigration from the poorer regions. In Peru, where the...more »

In the jungle near Labertino Island, Peru, Feb. 8, 2007 - A view of a series of gold mining pits deep within the jungle of Madre de Dion. In Peru, artisanal mining, a type of small-scale mining that produces gold exclusively, has proliferated due to a combination of survival and opportunity. In Madre de Dios, one of the least populated departments of the country, the discovery of gold in placers and riverbeds, has caused a massive immigration from the poorer regions. In Peru, where the economic rate of growth has been decreasing since the decade of the ?70s, artisanal mining has become an important work generator for people unable to find employment in the ever weaker labor markets. The income of artisanal miners is estimated at $200 per month, almost double the minimum vital wage paid in the city of Lima..« less